Making a Change in the Lives of Others Makes Winning More Special for Many

KANSAS CITY, MO--(Marketwired - February 09, 2016) - More than $3 million. That's the amount of money for local charities if just 10 percent was donated by winners of the 1,000 Win $1,000 Daily Sweepstakes at H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), the world's largest consumer tax preparation company. If many of the winners who have shared their stories are any indication, that number could be much, much higher.

"Understandably, many of our sweepstakes winners needed to use their extra $1,000 to take care of their families, and H&R Block is happy to be a part of that," said Kathy Collins, H&R Block's chief marketing officer. "The winners who have been in a position to share their winnings with strangers are a fortunate and generous group. It's good to see the sweepstakes winnings being invested in communities and helping improve the lives of many."

Bob and Sheila Dias, in Fall River, Mass., are donating their winnings to Best Buddies Massachusetts, which is "dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)." The Dias' younger son was diagnosed with autism, making this charity very special to them as its services are geared toward, but not limited to, people with autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities.

A winner in Arizona, who wishes to remain anonymous, is donating his winnings to MAZON: A Jewish Response to World Hunger. As a world traveler who worked in the airlines and travel industries, this winner felt a connection to MAZON when he learned about it through a project a relative was completing as part of preparations for her bat mitzvah. Another charity this winner frequently gives to is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Making sure people are fed is an everyday duty for Michael Paske, who is a chef in Oklahoma City. He is giving half of his winnings to the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank. The food bank has a backpack program that sends kids in need home with a backpack full of food to share with their families over the weekend. The other half of his winnings will be in his daughter's savings account. Michael's daughter is only 8, but she is already learning about helping others by participating in charitable fundraising events with her dad, including helping make sure 300 turkeys got cooked for Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.

Benefits of donating winnings include opportunity to help others and tax savings

In addition to helping others, charitable contributions can lower the giver's tax liability. For example, a taxpayer with a marginal tax rate of 25 percent could save $25 in taxes for every eligible $100 charitable donation if they itemize their deductions.

For cash donations, taxpayers must have either a bank record, such as a cancelled check or credit card statement, or a receipt from the charity. For cash contributions of $250 or more, the taxpayer must obtain a written acknowledgement from the charity or have certain payroll deduction records.

For non-cash donations, taxpayers must have receipts, acknowledgments, appraisals and even pictures depending on the value of the donation. Taxpayers who make non-cash contributions and claim charitable deductions in excess of $500 must complete Form 8283 and submit it with Form 1040.

A week remaining to enter sweepstakes

H&R Block is giving away $1,000 to 1,000 winners for 32 days, for a total of $32 million. Anyone who files their taxes in a participating H&R Block office by Feb. 15 can be automatically entered into the sweepstakes. This interactive map shows the states where the winners live.

For more information, including official rules and other ways to enter, taxpayers can visit www.hrblock.com/grand, watch this video or join the conversation on social media and share how they would use an extra $1,000. Just use the hashtag #MyGrandPlan.

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is the world's largest consumer tax services provider. More than 680 million tax returns have been prepared worldwide by and through H&R Block since 1955. In fiscal 2015, H&R Block had annual revenues of nearly $3.1 billion with 24.2 million tax returns prepared worldwide. Tax return preparation services are provided by professional tax preparers in approximately 12,000 company-owned and franchise retail tax offices worldwide, and through H&R Block tax software products. H&R Block also offers adjacent Tax Plus products and services. For more information, visit the H&R Block Newsroom at http://newsroom.hrblock.com/.